Category Archives: New Zealand

New Zealand held its first same-sex ceremonies yesterday, which you've probably heard something about in the news over the past 24 hours. The media has been at it again, celebrating NZ same-sex weddings with as much hype as possible, all the while ignoring the fact that legislators redefined marriage back in April despite strong opposition and very little debate at the time.

You won't hear much about it in the mainstream media, but conservative groups, religious leaders, and Kiwis across the nation are speaking out this week, saying that the new law "defies the national mood and common sense". We agree.

“Despite their grandiose view, the politicians never had the authority to redefine marriage,” said Bob McCoskrie, the national director of Family First NZ. “They committed an arrogant act of cultural vandalism with no clear public mandate."

Many people have commented on the bias in reporting on the day’s events. The mainstream media featured laudatory coverage of the weddings themselves, giving little attention to opponents' views.

Australian couple Trent Kandler and Paul McCarthy were flown from Australia to Wellington by Tourism New Zealand, where a “wedding” was held at the national museum, Te Papa.

Air NZ provided an in-flight “wedding” ceremony for a lesbian couple, Lynley Bendall and Ally Wanikau, where Jesse Tyler Fergusson from the TV series Modern Family was present. The package included a honeymoon at a Palms Spring Resort in the U.S.

Lance Huxford is calling for people to complain to the media, saying he is “shocked at the unbalanced coverage of the same sex marriage law coming into effect on both TV 1 and TV 3.”

“We must continue to speak up for marriage as uniting a man and a woman with each other and any children born from that union” Dame Colleen Bayer, national director of Family Life International NZ, said. “For the sake of our children, we cannot stand by and let marriage be mocked.” -LifeSiteNews

With Wednesday's vote in the New Zealand Parliament, the island nation becomes the first Asia-Pacific country to redefine marriage. Opponents of the bill renewed calls for a referendum.

MP Winston Peters told the Telegraph, "Some say there is a groundswell for change, but how do we know that? New Zealand is supposed to be a democracy and what we are about to do is circumvent any expression of public opinion."

Another opponent of the bill, MP Jonathan Young, made a similar appeal: "History has invested significant tradition in marriage and I believe we should maintain that tradition," he said. "The issue isn't as clear as some people think, many are struggling with it and the community is more divided than this parliament."

Although the bill Wednesday officially redefined marriage in New Zealand's law, it is unclear how long it will be before the first same-sex couples are licensed to wed.